Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Clin Oncol. Apr 24, 2026; 17(4): 118631
Published online Apr 24, 2026. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v17.i4.118631
Published online Apr 24, 2026. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v17.i4.118631
Current perspectives on diagnosis and management of primary and secondary breast endometriosis and potential risk of breast cancer
Alexandra G Marneri, Breast Unit, 1st Propedeutic Surgical Department, School of Medicine, Kappodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Athens 1152, Greece
Efstathios T Pavlidis, Theodoros E Pavlidis, The Second Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, Hippokration General Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece
Kalliopi E Stavrati, Department of Surgical, Eugenideio Hospital, Athens 11528, Greece
Christina Mouratidou, Intensive Care Unit, Hippokration General Hospital, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece
Athanasios Kofinas, Department of Transplantation Surgery, Center for Research and Innovation in Solid Organ Transplantation, Hippokration General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Medicine, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece
Irida Konstantopoulou, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Hospital of Messinia, Kalamata 24100, Greece
Co-corresponding authors: Efstathios T Pavlidis and Theodoros E Pavlidis.
Author contributions: Marneri AG, Pavlidis ET, and Stavrati KE designed research and analysed data; Mouratidou C, Kofinas A, and Konstantopoulou I performed research, contributed new analytic tools, evaluated data and review the paper; Pavlidis TE analysed data review and approved the paper; Pavlidis ET and Pavlidis TE contributed equally to this manuscript as co-corresponding authors. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Theodoros E Pavlidis, MD, PhD, Professor Emeritus, The Second Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, Hippokration General Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Konstantinoupoleos 49, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece.
Received: January 7, 2026
Revised: January 19, 2026
Accepted: February 27, 2026
Published online: April 24, 2026
Processing time: 104 Days and 16.3 Hours
Revised: January 19, 2026
Accepted: February 27, 2026
Published online: April 24, 2026
Processing time: 104 Days and 16.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Breast endometriosis constitutes an exceedingly uncommon extragenital presentation of ectopic endometrial tissue, with only a limited number of histologically verified cases documented globally. Endometriosis is associated with increased risks of breast, endometrial, ovarian, and thyroid cancers; melanoma; and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Given its potential for clinical and radiologic mimicry of malignancy and its implications for surgical management, breast endometriosis warrants awareness among pathologists and breast surgeons. Current genomic research has opened new horizons in both diagnosis and therapy. Surgical excision is the method of choice, offering a permanent cure and no recurrence.